[We’re kicking off our weekly GLORIO anime coverage with brief recaps and impressions of our favorite shows of the season. We promise to keep it safe and professional on the main page, but be warned: once you click “read more” we’ll be flying those spoiler flags nice and high.]

Recap: The Kanya Festival continues, but something strange is going on behind all the hubbub.

Iro’s Thoughts:

After the shiny new OP, Hyouka continues with its school festival antics, with bits of characterization thrown in here or there.

Satoshi gladly participates in the quiz contest, dramatically advertising for the Classics Club and making a big show in his ridiculous Saturn costume. One of contestants is a boy who is one of the only people who the normally peppy Satoshi has shown clear distaste for (alongside Houtarou). After a grueling off-screen quiz battle, Satoshi ends up losing, showing us a lapse in the self-proclaimed “database”.

Chitanda continues her quest of finding other clubs and booths who are willing to sell copies of their anthology, with little success. Meanwhile, Houtarou continues his trading quest in the comfort of the club room, trading a safety pin for a water gun from the Gardening Club. Mayaka has an argument with the Manga Society’s resident bitch over what does and doesn’t constitute a great work, and whether all art is equal regardless of technical skill or other qualities.

And behind all of these, we have the obligatory mystery of the arc. It was hinted at last episode with incidental characters wondering what happened to their apple juice, but now several things have gone missing. The Wheel of Fortune tarot card from the Fortune-Telling Booth and some playing stones from the Go Club have vanished, both with a note from the thief. To top things off, Mayaka can’t find the special manga she swears will prove to the Manga Society that even an amateur work can be a masterpiece.

Next episode promises the second day of the Kanya Festival, involving a 3-on-3 cooking duel and some shots of Mayaka running.

Marlin’s Thoughts:

I’m not quite sure why, but I am a sucker for cute romances, and I am enjoying how Hyouka has been teasing the one between Houtarou and Chii out the past few episodes. With Houtarou’s horrible attempt at sneaking away with the pictures this episode I thought this was going to create some kind of friction between them, but when Chii didn’t react negatively I was glad that my thoughts were misplaced. I think this festival scenario is a good environment for some great interactions between our main characters. I’m still banking on his sister being the culprit. Her appearance is too timely to just be a coincidence.